In a notable departure from her long-standing conservative stance on Fox News’ Special Report, Liz Cheney, once a prominent contributor to the network, made a fervent call for viewers to distance themselves from former President Donald Trump. Despite aligning with Trump in congressional votes 93% of the time during his presidency, Cheney’s breaking point came with the events of January 6th and Trump’s persistent denial of the election results. This marked Cheney as an uncommon figure in Washington D.C.: a vocal critic challenging Trump’s conservative credentials.
Promoting her new book, “Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning,” Cheney appeared on various media outlets, including CNN, where she vehemently criticized Fox News for its role in perpetuating Trump’s false election claims and its perceived contribution to the January 6 Capitol riot. In an interview with Jake Tapper, Cheney lamented the absence of Charles Krauthammer, a revered conservative figure at Fox News until his passing in 2018, emphasizing Krauthammer’s teachings about the importance of prioritizing principles over politics.
During her appearance on Fox News, Cheney urged viewers to consider alternative candidates, asserting that there are Republicans who can champion conservative policies without undermining the Constitution. She emphasized the need to move beyond partisanship and prioritize the duty to the Constitution, echoing Krauthammer’s teachings.
Bret Baier, the anchor, questioned Cheney about her loss in the primary and criticism from opponents suggesting she was out of touch with the average person. Cheney defended her principled stand against lying about Trump’s actions and emphasized the uniqueness of the situation where a sitting president attempted to seize power.
Baier inquired about Cheney’s potential entry into the race, to which she responded that the decision was yet to be made. However, she emphasized that her concern transcended personal ambitions, reiterating the importance of upholding the Constitution and distancing her stance from mere policy disagreements.
In the interview’s conclusion, Cheney expressed gratitude for the opportunity to discuss her book on Fox News, acknowledging the network’s policy to hear from all sides. The conversation underscored Cheney’s commitment to conservative principles and her belief that safeguarding the Constitution should take precedence over political allegiances.
BAIER: If you look at the polls, he is up 63% to his nearest rival, 12% in Iowa. The Des Moines Register, 51%. You keep on going down state by state. What is not getting across if your message is so urgent on these other channels and other places? What is not happening to the electorate that to see that?
CHENEY: Well, I think you’re you’re actually seeing some movement. There have been other polls out today that show some movement among some of the other candidates. And look what I would say to the Fox viewers and I worked here for many years, as you know, and the the race today presents a number of candidates, Republican candidates who will abide by the Constitution. And you can have the policies that we all want, the policies some of which Donald Trump put into place, some of which he didn’t. We can have conservative policies without having to torch the Constitution. And so what I would urge people watching today who are going to be voting in those caucuses or in those primaries is to vote for somebody else; do not vote for the person who already tried to seize power.
BAIER: You lost your primary to Harriet Harman, 2 to 1. And she said, Liz Cheney has never been in touch with your average person in 2019. Well, AP said. Wyoming’s congresswoman says a summary of the investigation into whether President Donald Trump election campaign coordinated with Russia, confirms what Republicans already knew. The summary of Robert Mueller’s investigation says there was no collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. Wyoming U.S. Representative Liz Cheney says Democrats for over two years have peddled falsehoods and made one scurrilous claim after another involving Trump in Russia. Cheney says in the statement, It’s time for Democrats to put aside their partisan agenda of attacking Trump and focus on real issues. What do you say to critics who say, listen, all of this as even after you look at January 6th, all of this is about going after Donald Trump and that his policies, if you look back to his four years, are something that they want. So there are voters who obviously feel that way.
CHENEY: Yeah. So I would say a couple of things. First of all, I won my primary by 70% of the vote. I could have done that again if I was willing to lie about what Donald Trump did. I wasn’t willing to do that. I voted against that impeachment that you’re talking about the first impeachment. I voted against it. But this was different. When you have a president of the United States who attempts to seize power, that that goes to the heart of of who we are. And that danger is one we can’t ignore. And so, again, I would say, look, this is about ensuring that you’re going to vote for somebody, that you’re going to support somebody who’s going to uphold the rule of law. And one time now Trump has demonstrated he won’t do.
BAIER: At one time you thought about running. Obviously, you’re not running. But could you get in this race?
CHENEY: You know, I haven’t made a decision yet, but it really it’s not about me. Brett. And I again, I say this again. You know, I come here to Fox and I sit in the Charles Krauthammer greenroom and I know how much how revered Charles was by you, by me. And Charles taught us a whole bunch of things. But one of them is that some things have to matter. And rising above politics, rising above partisanship recognizing our duty to the Constitution is the most conservative of all conservative principles. And so, again, this isn’t about policy. You know, we started off on the Biden administration’s foreign policy, with which I have big disagreements, his economic policy, big disagreements. It’s not about that. It’s about whether we’re going to support people that are going to uphold the Constitution.
BAIER: Well, we have a policy here to hear from all sides. And we wanted to invite you to talk about your book. Thank you for coming on. And we’ll continue to cover your next steps.
CHENEY: Appreciate it. Thank you.
